What are your personal learning networks (PLN) online? What do your students do? Do we use different or similar tools to learn online? Do you use mobiles? Do students? What do students’ PLN’s look like now? What will they look like in 1, 3, and 5 years?

Samantha Adams and Meenoo Rami are two of our guests on this episode of Teachers Teaching
Teachers. Samatha Adams joined us for further conversations about the NMC Horizon Report: 2011 K-12 Edition, and Meenoo Rami let us know what’s happening at #engchat on Twitter on Monday evenings and beyond.

SamanthaAdamsDirector of Communications, NMC (www.nmc.org[13])SamanthaAdams came to the NMC with an extensive writing and research background in both print and digital publishing. After working with the top trade publishers in the world for a previous job digitizing content for ebooks, she fell in love with writing about emerging technologies. At the NMC, she works closely with CEO Larry Johnson to spearhead the NMC Horizon Project, which encompasses the The NMC Horizon Report series. In the recently released NMC Horizon Report: 2011 K-12 Edition, she was deeply involved in the research and writing of the report. As the lead writer at the NMC, Samantha also focuses on strategic communications within and outside of the NMC member community, promoting special events and publications, while managing the organization’s social media forums. In her free time, Samantha enjoys writing fiction and has recently published an anthology of short stories.

Meenoo Rami and a couple of her colleagues who helped make #engchat[14] the place to be on Twitter on Mondays at 7:00 PM Eastern / 4:00 PM Pacific.

Click Read more to see a recent sampling of #engchat
and a copy of the chat that was happening during this webcast.

A colleague wants to create a class website to publish poetry work of her Ss. What is the most user friendly for kids? #Edchat[94]#engchat[17]

The chat that was happening during this webcast.

20:19:43 Paul Allison: http://paulallison.tumblr.com/post/6308889790/engchat-and-the-nmc-horizo...[95]
20:40:01 Paul Allison: http://paulallison.tumblr.com/post/6308889790/engchat-and-the-nmc-horizo...[95]
20:53:18 Paul Allison: Hi Susan. Check your email?
20:53:39 SusanEttenheim: hi just got home will do right now
20:58:16 Chris Sloan: Hello
20:58:28 Clix: Hi everyone! :D
21:01:23 pablo: hello to the EdTech
21:01:39 SusanEttenheim: hi all ljust about ready
21:01:39 mrami2: Hi everyone, @mrami2 here from Philly
21:01:49 SusanEttenheim: you should be able to hear now.. I'll run over and check
21:01:52 SusanEttenheim: can you hear?
21:01:58 pablo: nope
21:02:28 SusanEttenheim: click on edtechtalk A
21:03:15 mrami2: @CBethM thanks for joining us
21:03:59 CBethM: Thanks, @mrami2.
21:05:11 Clix: Uhoh... are we supposed to be hearing?
21:05:32 Megan: I can hear.
21:06:00 CBethM: I don't hear anything either, @Clix.
21:06:03 SusanEttenheim: hi clix
21:06:11 SusanEttenheim: I'm having trouble finding you in skype
21:06:42 Megan: I clicked on the speaker all the way to the left and can hear the show.
21:06:58 Clix: Um. How do I get here via skype?
21:07:09 Clix: I clicked on a link in twitter and it took me here in firefox...
21:07:20 SusanEttenheim: clix I need to call you into the call
21:07:26 SusanEttenheim: your skype user is clix?
21:07:26 mrami2: Meenoo is very hard to say :)
21:07:33 Clix: oh! ok :)
21:07:40 Clix: and, yes :)
21:07:47 SusanEttenheim: when I search clix I get a million results and none of them say just clix as a user name
21:07:54 SusanEttenheim: what real name are you listed as?
21:09:06 SusanEttenheim: welcome back pablo - we'll help everyone get audio as soon as we get everyone in the call
21:09:40 SusanEttenheim: welcome back clix
21:09:55 Megan: I'm listening through iTunes. I'm assuming that that means that I'm just listening and that no one can hear me...correct?
21:10:05 Clix: Don't have it set; try my email? uncomfortableadventures@yahoo.com[96] - or is there a way to find an ID #?
21:10:07 SusanEttenheim: correct
21:10:11 Megan: Whew! :) Thanks!
21:10:21 Clix: try clicketykeys :)
21:10:21 SusanEttenheim: clix can you add me susanettenheim
21:10:39 SusanEttenheim: then it will pop up to ask me to allow you to connect with me and I can see the user name
21:11:46 Clix: oops... clicked wrong button.. got it?
21:11:56 SusanEttenheim: ok!
21:12:06 SusanEttenheim: we'll bring you in in a sec
21:13:11 SusanEttenheim: ok everyone! we have everyone in the call at least for now!
21:13:20 SusanEttenheim: now... is everyone getting sound?
21:13:26 SusanEttenheim: pablo are you good now?
21:13:35 CBethM: I have sound now. :)
21:13:46 CBethM: Actually, I have for a while. Thanks!
21:14:02 SusanEttenheim: and pablo I know you were having trouble.. are you good now?
21:14:12 pablo: pablo is good, i clicked on the iTunes icon and can hear everyone
21:16:36 pablo: iPads are a new category within themselves
21:17:25 SusanEttenheim: great! could we have some quick introductions for the people here in the chat who are not on the call?
21:17:30 SusanEttenheim: where and what do you teach?
21:17:37 SusanEttenheim: I'm in a high school in NYC
21:17:53 SusanEttenheim: welcome!
21:17:58 Megan: I'm a second grade teacher in Lancaster, PA.
21:17:59 DeniseWeintraut: I'm a beginning teacher in South Jersey.
21:18:10 carko: My district is getting iPads for students 4th-12th grades
21:18:10 SusanEttenheim: welcome denise - what grades?
21:18:16 Clix: Yay PA peeps! I'm from there originally but now teaching in N GA
21:18:21 SusanEttenheim: wow carko for every student?
21:18:22 DeniseWeintraut: 6-8 Language Arts Basic skills
21:18:44 DeniseWeintraut: Wow, Carko! What do you plan to do with them?
21:18:49 carko: I teach 4th grade in Calumet, Michigan
21:19:02 carko: Every student
21:19:12 Megan: Wow! iPads for every student is fantastic!
21:24:05 CBethM: In case anyone wanted to see the link to the piece about Lauren Oliver writing on her cell phone: http://blog.figment.com/2011/01/03/the-writing-life-with-lauren-oliver/[97]
21:24:34 Clix: thanks!
21:25:10 Megan: Thank you! I know that technology is amazing, but writing a paper on a cell phone is unreal to me!
21:25:21 pablo: "mobiles" connected to WiFi or cellular solve so many IT issues with access and broadband, add in cloud resources like Google docs, and money wasted on software licenses and IT can be used on real things... other things like salaraies
21:25:28 Megan: I'm sure that it's possible, but I can imagine that it's still easier to write it on your computer.
21:25:56 CBethM: Elements ebook video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHiEqf5wb3g[98]
21:26:03 pablo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peIUgxotVb0[99]
21:26:35 pablo: http://periodictable.com/ipad/[100]
21:26:38 CBethM: Cells are just so simple to carry with you though - I think I do more typing (Twitter/FB/email) on my smartphone than on my home computer. School is something.
21:26:51 CBethM: Oops - school is something different. Cell stays in my purse.
21:27:52 Megan: Good point! I can't remember the last time that I opened up my e-mail on my computer. I have an iPhone and use it to answer almost all of my e-mails since it's so easy to access and give immediate feedback.
21:28:12 pablo: http://www.nmc.org/publications/2011-horizon-report-k-12[101]
21:28:17 Clix: Can you TALK on a tablet? It certainly wouldn't be very easy...
21:28:38 CBethM: I think you might be able to get Skype on tablets. Depends on the tablet.
21:28:58 CBethM: Hubby tells me you can get Skype on iPad.
21:29:00 hickstro: iPad2 has Facetime built in
21:29:10 Clix: You don't see PSAs asking people to turn off their tablets and/or laptops when they go to a movie.
21:29:18 Clix: Tablets are seen as computers, not telephones.
21:29:19 CBethM: Policy takes a LONG time to catch up with technology.
21:29:20 mrami2: I need an ipad :)
21:29:37 hickstro: I think that we need to ask the bigger question about the nature and purpose of schooling -- why are these tools seen as disruptive and destructive?
21:29:51 CBethM: Laptops are too heavy to carry around all day - students would want to carry them.
21:30:03 Clix: heavier than books?
21:30:28 mrami2: one of my tweets got many RT and it was something along the line that cell phone in the class debate is about power in the classroom more than anything else. IMHO.
21:30:28 CBethM: @Clix You're funny. Students tend to avoid carrying books if they can. :)
21:30:59 CBethM: @hickstro - I think that anything that isn't understood - isn't used - is automatically feared and therefore banned.
21:31:05 pablo: When the school embraces the student's mobile device, it extends learning outside the classroom and into the home.
21:31:20 CBethM: @hickstro - there is an assumption that they are dangerous. Particularly with bullying.
21:31:56 Megan: I think it's the fear of students using these devices for non school related activities in school.
21:32:01 Clix: @hickstro cell *phones* are seen as rude, and therefore disruptive.
21:32:20 CBethM: @pablo I know what you mean. I was looking for a site to use with students in and out of school. Took options to a couple of tech-savvy students for their thoughts. They said if there wasn't a mobile platform to forget about it.
21:32:37 Megan: They have the definite potential for being a learning tool, but students need to be taught about how to use their mobile device as a learning tool.
21:33:19 CBethM: @Megan You're right. Anything can be used for good or for evil. If they are out on the desks, you should be able to see who is using what and when.
21:34:15 Clix: I dunno, @CBethM - they're small, and with a large class? Can be v challenging.
21:34:26 pablo: @CBethM the truth is that learning happens in the craziest places, including on the moblies, especially the iPad, and we cannot ignore it
21:34:50 hickstro: @CBethM - I agree, but bullying also happens on the bus, the playground, the lunch room, the hallways, and the locker room. So, that is not a poor argument on behalf of critics of cell phones, don't you think?
21:34:54 Megan: @ CBethM That's a great point! Students could put their mobile device on their desk rather than holding them in their laps. This way, the teachers can see how it's being used and is able to assist if needed.
21:35:29 pablo: Communication, even on twitter, is a 21st century skill.
21:35:46 CBethM: @hickstro I whole-heartedly agree. But that's the fear. What we need to do is educate the people who make those policies. Invite them in to using apps to see that they can be used productively.
21:36:09 SamanthaNMC: The Scofield Magnet water project (with ipads): http://scofieldcatalyst.blogspot.com[102]
21:36:12 pablo: Writing a disertation is an 19th century skill.
21:36:16 hickstro: @Clix Agreed there, too. But, school has always been about a process of socialization, right? So, how can we help kids learn norms for using cell phones in school, just like we would teach them at the dinner table, movie theater, or any other space?
21:36:43 CBethM: @pablo I never ever thought, when I signed up for Twitter and Facebook in 2009 that I would learn as much as I have. But I think I have learned more from these informal forums than I ever thought possible.
21:36:56 Clix: @hickstro do you think they don't know what's appropriate & what's not? what's on-task & what's not?
21:38:05 SusanEttenheim: hi troy!
21:38:24 CBethM: Check out #engchat's current wiki: http://engchat.pbworks.com[103]
21:38:40 hickstro: @CBethM - Check out Liz Kolb's work for an answer about productivity: cellphonesinlearning.com
21:38:57 CBethM: @hickstro - Thanks! I will! :)
21:39:15 CBethM: Here's the Tweetchat link: http://tweetchat.com/room/engchat[104]
21:39:20 SamanthaNMC: Great video on The Elements ebook: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiEqf5wb3g[105]
21:40:20 hickstro: @Everyone - I suppose that I am just getting annoyed with the general response that we can't do it because kids will be bullies (they will anyway, regardless of the internet) and because the tools are just distractions (really, there are lots of productive things that they can do). So, those arguments are not supportable. So, what is the real problem with using mobile devices in school?
21:40:34 pablo: Love that!!!
21:40:42 SamanthaNMC: they reduce IT overhead
21:41:04 SamanthaNMC: great point @hickstro
21:41:11 CBethM: I'm all for them, @hickstro. We need to convince the administration/school board who may not know that they can be useful.
21:41:39 CBethM: @SamanthaNMC, with current budget issues for education, that's a real selling point.
21:42:42 pablo: The fact that these kids (even the at-risk kids) are fluent in these devices and communication tools means that the school is being a hurdle to the adoption, not the kids.
21:43:12 SamanthaNMC: true @pablo
21:43:17 hickstro: Oh yes, then the budget concern -- they are too expensive. Really? What is the cost of an tablet and accessories as compared to all the textbooks and photcopies that we purchase and use each year? Again, another annoying argument.
21:43:58 pablo: Expensive??? The kids own the tools and the networks. The clouds are free - google docs. Embrace the cloud!!!!!
21:43:58 hickstro: Sorry all... I am kind of fiesty tonight as I watch my own children finish school. Some are doing meaningful projects, others are bound up in worksheets.
21:44:04 Clix: We haven't bought new textbooks in 7 years.
21:44:30 Clix: @pablo and if the kids DON'T own the tools??
21:44:36 CBethM: @hickstro, agreed. I wish you could come to PA and get all fiesty at my school and sell it better than I have...
21:44:48 hickstro: @Clix - I recognize that there are disparities, and you made a clear point about your own situation earlier.
21:45:07 SusanEttenheim: I just worry that these devices don't just become ways to do the same old drill work
21:45:16 hickstro: @Clix - Yet, there have always been disparities. Always will (at the rate that we are going).
21:45:30 CBethM: @SusanEttenheim - big threat there. Depends on who is using it.
21:45:40 pablo: @clix mobiles are almost 90% penetration, and if it's in the "cloud" then any device - even cheap ones - can access and participate.
21:45:49 hickstro: @Clix - And I know that you are an advocate for this type of learning. So, what kind of help do you need from the larger educational community to be able to make the kinds of arguments that you need to make?
21:45:53 Clix: I think biggest hurdle is helping teachers develop ways to use these tools to keep students active so that there's less opportunity for being off-task.
21:46:05 SusanEttenheim: we need to get examples out there that are not easy drill sites..
21:46:27 hickstro: @Clix - honestly, I want to figure this out. Milton Chen in Education Nation calls 1:1 a "digital civil right."
21:46:41 Clix: @susanettenheim Yes, exactly. BC if you can just do it on a worksheet, why fork over the $$ for a mobile device?!
21:46:46 CBethM: Edmodo.com is one that allows for some microblogging.
21:47:18 Clix: I also think it IS important to make transparency easier... tchrs need to b able to see what kids r doing on mobiles.
21:47:23 SusanEttenheim: well teachers are busy "saving" paper but then just using the ipads for the same old drill work
21:47:32 hickstro: @Clix - Has your district's financial people actually done a long-term budget comparing mobile devices and wifi to copies? I think that they might be surprised...
21:47:53 CBethM: Having students text responses to Poll Anywhere isn't drill and kill. (Or at least, I hope not!!)
21:48:09 SusanEttenheim: haha one of the silly things is to put pdfs up online and then everyone just prints them in the computer room!
21:48:15 Clix: Also, @hickstro - if a worksheet gets dropped and stepped on, it can be replaced MUCH more easily. ;)
21:48:24 Clix: I want mobile devices that BOUNCE! ;D
21:48:49 Clix: @cbethm yeah, I love love love poll anywhere!
21:49:03 Clix: think it would work REALLY well for creating infographics for yearbooks!
21:49:34 Clix: @hickstro Also waterproof would help.
21:49:38 hickstro: @Susan - so, we need to teach digital reading skills, too, right?
21:50:12 hickstro: @Clix - sure, they might get broken, or stolen. But, what happens when we get students invested in the purchase and maintenance of these devices?
21:50:13 SusanEttenheim: well that would be great if we could do it in the context of the new core curriculum standards!
21:50:25 CBethM: @Clix - that is a BRILLIANT idea. Never thought about it before. :) Love the way you think, fellow yearbook advisor!
21:50:36 Clix: @hickstro then when they're broken or stolen, the parent wants the school to replace it.
21:51:00 Clix: I'm just really, REALLY nervous about expensive equipment.
21:51:30 CBethM: @hickstro, @Susan - I think you're right. Many students (and teachers) feel uncomfortable reading on computers - but they are far more willing to try on their mobiles.
21:51:42 hickstro: @Clix - many districts have agreements where the student pays X, usually part of the insurance deductible, then they are invested in it a bit more.
21:51:57 Clix: @hickstro I would LOVE an arrangement like that.
21:52:18 SusanEttenheim: I think the shared devices are so deadend..
21:52:22 hickstro: @Clix - and, again, I know that some students have limited resources...
21:52:25 SusanEttenheim: ownership is everything
21:52:53 Clix: if we could make it work; we are told that even things like field trips have to be free. (I get lots of stuff from donorschoose!)
21:53:01 hickstro: @Clix - so it becomes a matter of what students can do -- help keep equipment maintained and inventoried, choose and install applications, act as tech support in school, etc.
21:53:14 pablo: @susanettenheim that's a great point, if the student doesn't own the device, then it doesn't extend outside the classroom, it doesn't become personal and relevant
21:53:34 SusanEttenheim: who's going to pop keys off your own keyboard???
21:53:47 Clix: @susanettenheim you might be surprised... ;)
21:53:53 Clix: ^.^
21:53:55 SusanEttenheim: really?
21:53:57 hickstro: @Everyone -- I am not trying to be too fiesty about this, but I just find all these arguments that people make about why we shouldn't use technology to be more and more ridiculous.
21:54:11 Clix: not just popping off but re-keying the board. Just to be silly.
21:54:21 SusanEttenheim: kind of like... pencil points may break and then there's no more pencil...
21:54:31 SusanEttenheim: ahh clix yes seen that...
21:54:52 hickstro: The benefits are there, our pedagogy can evolve, and students can learn in new ways if we invite (and trust) them to do so.
21:54:59 SamanthaNMC: yes
21:55:17 SamanthaNMC: that is actually the philosophy of Challenge Based Learning
21:55:33 Clix: I'm with you hickstro, but I've learned to be incredibly stingy. I want to know not only THAT something will work, but HOW and WHY.
21:56:00 SamanthaNMC: student centered learning + 21st century technology + trust from teachers
21:56:02 Clix: when it's as much of an investment - of time and thought and energy, in addition to money.
21:56:16 SusanEttenheim: we actually had a small issue in our school and the principal and I sat with a few small groups today and the students agreed that they valued the openness and would not want to be locked down... they agreed to take ownership of appropriate use and I really think the pranks are done
21:56:22 SusanEttenheim: when they really understand
21:56:51 pablo: FB closed? it's 500,000,000 people...
21:56:58 SusanEttenheim: I agree transparency is essential
21:57:24 Clix: blocked at school, I think, @pablo
21:57:36 pablo: if the school wants to control it, it's a dead end.
21:57:57 SusanEttenheim: totally pablo we have proven that over and over
21:58:33 SusanEttenheim: interesting mostly when my students are off task they are chatting not browsing in unauthorized places..
21:58:51 Clix: same here @susanettenheim
21:59:00 pablo: "chatting" is communication, is that not a teachable skill???
21:59:08 SusanEttenheim: exactly!
21:59:09 Clix: but I *have* found that when they have enough to do they're less likely to be chitchatting ;)
21:59:34 Clix: not sure what u mean, @pablo... students seem to do quite a bit of chatting already ;)
21:59:37 SusanEttenheim: I guess that wasn't fair because everyone is just so worn out these last few days of school!
22:00:06 CBethM: @clix - we need to rethink plans. Some things that would take much longer in a traditional (non techy) classroom take FAR less time in a techy environment. The goals are different.
22:00:32 Clix: @cbethm you sound like you have something you're thinking of in particular?
22:00:48 hickstro: @Clix - so, as you consider your own online learning, how and why do you think that you are involved in engchat and ECNing? I ask this in all seriousness, not trying to be sarcastic. What value do you find in participating in these spaces? What might your students learn and be able to do in similar spaces?
22:00:50 CBethM: @clix - tech-focused classes value being able to find and use information, being able to process and extend, create.
22:00:56 SusanEttenheim: my principal will sit in on a history class and whip out his iphone to check a fact or answer a question and he says why shouldn't every student in the room have that ability and drive to do that?
22:01:20 pablo: you rock Samantha!!!!!
22:01:42 SamanthaNMC: thank you for your kind words @pablo
22:01:48 SamanthaNMC: and for participating
22:02:32 Clix: @hickstro #EC & ECN connect me with brilliant ppl I wouldn't otherwise know. it complements face-to-face interactions @ my own school; doesn't replace.
22:02:53 Clix: also I'm a teacher & there aren't as many of us as there are students; I'm on my school laptop now.
22:03:09 SamanthaNMC: catalyst.navigator.nmc.org
22:03:32 Clix: @susanettenheim that is sooo awesome! :D
22:03:59 SusanEttenheim: it is so amazing to have a school leader who gets it!
22:04:02 CBethM: Reminder: That's 7 PM EST on Mondays for #engchat. :)
22:04:15 CBethM: @Susan - Absolutely!!!
22:04:23 hickstro: @Clix - Agreed! And, imagine what that could do for students, right?
22:04:39 Clix: @hickstro but also, I'm a teachery nerd. ;) like I'm not paid to be here... I find this geekily fun! :D
22:05:07 SusanEttenheim: you're in good company - we all just think this is fun...
22:05:24 SusanEttenheim: certainly makes going back to school on thursdays a little better each week, doesn't it?
22:05:55 Clix: well, we're done ;)
22:05:58 pablo: mobiles: how the classroom leaves the classroom
22:06:33 hickstro: @Clix - thanks for sharing your questions and concerns. Seriously, please do continue this conversation so we can figure out how to help.
22:06:39 hickstro: Congrats on #250!
22:06:50 mrami2: Thank you!
22:08:16 clix: haha, bye all!
22:08:32 clix: stupid skype crashed the computer :( anyway, thanks! great chat :)